That is the bitter and sad story of Shakahola.
August 24, 2024 11:15 AM Subscribe
“Jesus himself did it,” he said. “Nobody killed anybody. I did nothing." Alexis Okeowo investigates the story of Paul Mackenzie, a Kenyan religious leader charged with the deaths of more then 400 people. (SLNY)
(cw: mass murder, bodily suffering, cruelty to children, sexual violence)
This is absolutely one of the most depressing things I have ever read about (there have been a few pieces in the NYT as well). It's a case where you really need to heed the content warnings. I don't think humanity has invented a punishment sufficient for someone who starves their children in order for them to meet Jesus faster. It's one thing to imagine a charismatic leader talking you into doing harm to yourself...but this is just gut-wrenchingly awful.
posted by mittens at 1:13 PM on August 24 [3 favorites]
posted by mittens at 1:13 PM on August 24 [3 favorites]
I majored in Religious Studies in college. Back then I found religion to be very interesting. Given the history since then I’ve found religious thinking to be one of the scourges of humankind.
posted by njohnson23 at 1:35 PM on August 24 [9 favorites]
posted by njohnson23 at 1:35 PM on August 24 [9 favorites]
the new Jim Jones?
robbyrobs, there's actually a link in that direction in the article:
Mackenzie had begun telling his followers to fast for the sake of their souls. He may have been inspired by the teachings of William Branham, an American evangelical preacher who became known in the forties and fifties for his doomsday theology. (Kenyan investigators found copies of Branham’s sermons in Shakahola.) Branham gave tirades against the health and education systems, and encouraged fasting as a way of achieving “atomic power,” a form of spiritual strength. He later mentored Jim Jones, the cult leader who orchestrated the 1978 murder-suicide of more than nine hundred followers in Jonestown, Guyana...
posted by doctornemo at 1:50 PM on August 24
robbyrobs, there's actually a link in that direction in the article:
Mackenzie had begun telling his followers to fast for the sake of their souls. He may have been inspired by the teachings of William Branham, an American evangelical preacher who became known in the forties and fifties for his doomsday theology. (Kenyan investigators found copies of Branham’s sermons in Shakahola.) Branham gave tirades against the health and education systems, and encouraged fasting as a way of achieving “atomic power,” a form of spiritual strength. He later mentored Jim Jones, the cult leader who orchestrated the 1978 murder-suicide of more than nine hundred followers in Jonestown, Guyana...
posted by doctornemo at 1:50 PM on August 24
the new Jim Jones?
The world has had plenty of new Jim Jones.
posted by Panjandrum at 2:06 PM on August 24
The world has had plenty of new Jim Jones.
posted by Panjandrum at 2:06 PM on August 24
This is a terrible story.
posted by Frowner at 2:47 PM on August 24 [1 favorite]
posted by Frowner at 2:47 PM on August 24 [1 favorite]
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posted by chavenet at 11:34 AM on August 24 [5 favorites]